A rare chronic fish disease has been diagnosed in farmed salmon off the coast of Tasmania, according to a government report.
Australian news agency ABC discovered the report, intended to be an internal document, from the Department of Primary Industries, which said occurrences of the disease mycobacteriosis are on the rise. The disease, caused by the bacteria Mycobacteria salmoniphilium, is harmless to humans but deadly to salmon.
The report also warned that lower oxygen levels in Macquarie Harbor, where fish are farmed, increase the risk of the disease spreading, and recommended against an expansion of current farming operations there. Three companies – Tassal, Huon Aquaculture and Petuna – all farm salmon in the harbor.
